Dissertation Thesis

Code:

EEC0156

Acronym:

DISS

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Electrical and Computer Engineering

Instance: 2014/2015 - 2S

Active?	Yes
Web Page:	http://paginas.fe.up.pt/~jms/Dis/index.htm
Responsible unit:	Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Course/CS Responsible:	Master in Electrical and Computers Engineering

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
MIEEC	63	Syllabus	5	-	30	40	810

Teaching language

Suitable for English-speaking students

Objectives

The Dissertation curricular unit aims at the realization of an individual research and development work conducting to, either, the elaboration of a dissertation of scientific nature on a subject of the scientific nature of the programme, or the integration and application of knowledge, competences and aptitudes acquired in the programme to the resolution of engineering complex problems. It could be a research or technological development and application project, involving experimental and/or simulation means, which promotes the development of initiative, decision, innovation, creativity and critical thinking capabilities. It should involve the analysis of new situations, the gathering of pertinent information, the development and selection or conception of the approach methodologies, as well as, of the adequate instruments to solve the proposed problem, its resolution, the synthesis exercise and the elaboration of conclusions, concluding with the preparation of a pertinent dissertation subject to public presentation  and discussion of results.

Learning outcomes and competences

Sensitization to and acquisition of competences to perform a research or technological development and application project, involving experimental and/or simulation means, promoting the development of initiative, decision, innovation, creativity and critical thinking capabilities.

 

Working method

Presencial

Pre-requirements (prior knowledge) and co-requirements (common knowledge)

Conclusion of at least 246 ECTS credits of the curricular programme.

Program

2nd Semester - February- July. For the students who:
- only need the Dissertation curricular unit to finish their Integrated Masters
- only need to complete the Dissertation plus some course units to be concluded in a final course season exame to finish their Integrated Masters.

o Before the start of the semester: presentation and assignment of dissertation themes (detailing objectives and expected results).

o Until the end of the 1st month: - Presentation of a detailed work plan - Jury proposal

o During the development of the project: Presentation (via Web) of progress results and elements, to show if the project is being developed according to the work-plan.

o Until the 29th of June 2015:
- Delivery of a preliminary version of the dissertation thesis in a normalized format with all the suggestions of the supervisors.

o After the defense:
- Delivery of the final version. Without it students are not allowed to receive the Master Degree’s certificate or diploma supplement. The final version, including corrections (if any) to be identified in the defense, have to be verified by the jury, who will sign the declaration of conformity. - Delivery of a short paper of the dissertation thesis (2 pages)

The defense sessions will take place, as much as possible, between the 13th and the 24th of July 2015. The calendar will be published in www.fe.up.pt/~jms/Dis/.

Mandatory literature

James E. Mauch and Jack W. Birch; Guide to the successful thesis and dissertation. ISBN: 0-8247-8972-5
Rita S. Brause; Writing your doctoral dissertation. ISBN: 0-750-70744-5
Ana Carla Madeira, Maria Manuel Abreu; Comunicar em ciência. ISBN: 972-592-165-8
J. Eduardo Carvalho; Prática do controle de projectos

Teaching methods and learning activities

The dissertation thesis can be carried out either in an academic or in an academic-enterprise environment. The objectives, the nature of the project and way of supervision have to be previously agreed among students, the supervisor in FEUP and the supervisor in the company (See model contract) and validated by the Programme Director. This process has to be accomplished in order to assure that the scientific and educational objectives are reached and to protect possible confidentiality issues of the company.

keywords

Technological sciences > Engineering

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Defesa pública de dissertação, de relatório de projeto ou estágio, ou de tese	20,00
Participação presencial	0,00
Trabalho escrito	40,00
Trabalho laboratorial	40,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Elaboração de relatório/dissertação/tese	180,00
Estudo autónomo	100,00
Frequência das aulas	28,00
Trabalho de investigação	520,00
Total:	828,00

Eligibility for exams

According to the FEUP’s regulations regarding Integrated Masters, students have to exclusively work on their dissertation theses, unless otherwise agreed. Project supervision:
- Web page: Students have to create and maintain, since the very beginning of the curricular unit, a web page reporting all the developments of his activity, so that the elements of the jury can follow the evolution and development of the project.
- Progress report(s): Until the end of the fourth week, students have to present a concise description of the objectives and stages of their project. Supervisor(s) will verify periodically and at the end of each stage the evolution of the project.
- Final report: Students have to deliver an electronic version of the dissertation, formatted according the approved template, for evaluation purposes. After approval, the final version will be printed out, signed by the student and the jury and then archived in SDI until two weeks before the end of the occurrence..

Calculation formula of final grade

Final assessment by the jury
Public defence of the dissertation. The defence of the dissertations by the candidates will be organized in sessions, which may be accompanied by the presentation of posters or other ways of multimedia presentation. Whenever possible, projects on similar themes will be presented in the same session.
- Discussion of the project, presentation and written report. The public presentation should last about 45 minutes, including oral presentation by the candidates and discussion. - Assessment by the jury: At the end of each session, the jury will assess each student. Assessment components: Assessment of the work carried-out (40%) – should take into consideration:  Students’ autonomy;  Level of detail of the project; Results obtained; Methods; Quantity and quality of the project and documentation produced; Assiduity and punctuality. Assessment of the report (30%) - should take into consideration:  Interpretation and scope of the theme and/or company project; Critical analysis of the state of art and work that had been developed; Structure and logical development of the project; Adequate use of figures, algorithms and other illustrations; Summary, introduction and conclusion; Global presentation of the document; Presentation of information and references; Spelling and other grammatical aspects. - Assessment of the public presentation (20%): Presentation of the project and results; Organisation and contents of the presentation; Professionalism and attitude; Discussion; Level of assurance and confidence when answering to questions; Level of knowledge demonstrated. - Assessment of the webpage (10%): Completeness and quality of the content. Further information is available in Regulamento dos Mestrados Integrados da Universidade do Porto.

Examinations or Special Assignments

Not applicable

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

No other public defences are foreseen besides the public presentation of the project in July. Exceptionally, the final degree special season could be used also for this purpose.

Classification improvement

Not applicable

Observations

According to the regulations, dissertation theses submitted to defense have to be delivered on an electronic format (PDF), at the DEEC secretariat, until the 29th June 2015.

Following the public defense, after the introduction of corrections and possible modifications suggested by the jury and being duly validated by the president of the jury, the final version of the dissertation has to be delivered at the academic services until the 1st of August 2015, on a digital format (PDF), including the approval form signed by the jury, together with the forms grating property rigths to FEUP and the demand for temporary secrecy (available in students information space at: Students - Dissertations and Theses - Forms).

Students will have also to deliver (jms@fe.up.pt) a short paper (2 pages) of their projects, according to the template available on ‘Contents’.